Kingfisher shares soar: B&Q owner sales dip as customers shun ‘big-ticket’ items September 17, 2024 B&Q owner Kingfisher has reported a “resilient” set of results after a series of profit warnings last year, but weaker sales in France continued to weigh on profit. According to its half-year earnings for the six months ended 31 July 2024, sales fell by 1.8 per cent overall, to £6.75bn from £6.9bn, while gross profit [...]
West End: Tourist tax ‘disadvantage’ costs retailers hundreds of millions September 16, 2024 Retail business in London missed out on a projected £220m in the first half of 2024 due to the ongoing effect of the so-called tourist tax, despite continued growth in international visitor numbers. The number of international visitors to London was three per cent above pre-pandemic levels, but spending in the West End fell nearly [...]
Hotel Chocolat names new CEO as expansion effort takes shape following £534m takeover by Mars September 16, 2024 Hotel Chocolat has promoted its UK managing director Lysa Hardy to become its new chief executive in yet another sign of change after a takeover by Mars. Hardy, who was a non-executive at Superdry until July this year, will take over from co-founder and current chief executive, Angus Thirwell, according to a LinkedIn update. Last [...]
Next: Analysts look for potential sales forecast upgrade in upcoming results September 15, 2024 Next could upgrade its forecast for full-year sales next week as the retailer looks to capitalise on new business overseas. The clothing retailer reports its interim results on Thursday amid a backdrop of 28 per cent growth in its share price so far this year. Next reported a 4.4 per cent rise in sales in [...]
UK at risk of losing out on Unilever ice-cream float September 15, 2024 The UK is at risk of losing out on a key deal for London because it hasn’t appointed an investment minister, according to a former Barclays chairman. Gerry Grimstone, who also worked as investment minister at the Treasury from 2020-2022, said that Labour’s lack of focus on boosting the UK’s stock market may see Unilever’s [...]
Retail group calls for ‘rates corrector’ in next Budget September 13, 2024 High business rates and other bills have led to an overtaxing of the retail industry compared to its size in terms of GDP, according to fresh data. The British Retail Consortium found that retail pays 7.4 per cent of all business taxes – £33bn – a share 1.5 times greater than its share of the [...]
New Boots UK boss named after Seb James’ departure and aborted IPO September 12, 2024 Anthony Hemmerdinger has been appointed managing director of Boots UK and Ireland only months after the high street pharmacy chain’s US parent company once again shelved plans to sell or list the business. Current managing director Seb James, who has run the company since 2018, will pursue a new role in the healthcare sector. Hemmerdinger [...]
John Lewis: ‘Transformation on track’ but chain still in the red September 12, 2024 The John Lewis Partnership has reported an improved set of half-year results and has said it is on target to significantly boost its performance for the full year. The iconic UK name, which also owns Waitrose, said sales topped £5.9bn in the 26 weeks ended 27 July, up by two per cent year on year. [...]
Burberry: How low will ‘lost’ luxury fashion label’s shares go after FTSE 100 relegation? September 11, 2024 Burberry’s share price just keeps dropping and the decline is has shown almost no signs of slowing down for more than a year. It hit a 15-year low of 565p this week, after reaching a 14-year low in July, after hitting an all-time high of £2,690p last April. It is set to drop out of [...]
Luke 1977: UK’s economic woes to hit fashion industry for next three years September 11, 2024 Menswear brand Luke 1977 has warned that the “current economic climate” will continue to impact on the fashion industry for the next two to three years. The Oxfordshire-headquartered business said the fashion industry is also “experiencing challenges relating to climate control”, ranging from the reduction of carbon foot prints to the use of recyclable materials. [...]